Turtle Against The World
by Raphs No.1 Girl
Summary: My first ever songfic, based on a brilliant song I heard on the radio the other day called 'Man Against the World'. You'll have to read it find out more :D . Please R&R. : Rated 'T' for safety, due to fight scene
1. Part 1

_Hiya, everyone. So, this is my first songfic. I heard this song and immeditaly thought 'This has TMNT written all over it.' _

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own TMNt or the song (song is 'Man Against The World' by Survivor, by the way)._

_Anyway, here goes..._

_**

* * *

**_

Have you ever walked alone at night  
Like a man against the world  
No one takes your side  
A boat against the tide  
When your faith is shaken you start to break  
And you heart can't find the words  
Tossed upon the sand  
I give you a man against the world..

"C'mon – we gotta do somethin', Leo! We can't just sit around here and let it happen!"

"Raph, I said NO! After what happened the last time, there's no way we're going to get involved in another gang fight unless we really have to!"

"So, we're gunna let innocent people get hurt, all cos a wot happened last time?" Raph growled. His older brother had the most profound sense of honour out of all of them, and if anything was going to get Leo agree with him, then this was it.

"Yes, Raph. Besides, Mikey's still not properly healed, and Donny – well, he's been staying up late looking after Mikey. He needs to rest – there's no way he's ready for another gang war!" Leo was getting annoyed now, but was still trying to avoid raising his voice too much – why could his hot-headed brother never follow an order?

"Fine then," Raph's voice was now low, a stark contrast to the booming tone he had been using only moments ago. "Be like that." He balled his hands into fists, glaring at his blue-masked brother, before stalking out of the lair.

"Raph, wait! You can't…" But Raph had already gone. Leo shook his head – why did it have to be this way? Did Raphael not realise the worry he put his family through, each time he went out to play vigilante? Or didn't he care? Maybe he should go after him…try to stop him. But then Raph would just get even angrier, and there was no telling what might happen then. God, why did Raph have to be this way?

"Hey, Leo, what was that all about?" He turned to see Donny and Mikey coming out of the lab.

"Oh, the usual – Raph wanted us to join the gang fight tonight."

"But dude, doesn't he remember how badly things went last time?" Mikey asked, thinking of just how bad it had been. There had been way too many of those thugs, and he hadn't thought either him or his bros were going to make it out alive. Surely Raph didn't want them to try it again?

"So, where is he now?" This came from Donny, although in his heart he already knew the answer.

"He went out," replied Leo, once again inwardly cursing his younger brother's stupidity.

"That hot-head! Surely even he wouldn't be stupid enough to try to go up against them on his own?"

"Donny, he thinks he's going to save innocent people from getting caught in the crossfire!"

"But Leo, doesn't he remember how lucky _we_ were to get out alive last time? And that was with four of us - if he's by himself, he could…" Mikey fell silent, glancing at his two older brothers. He knew they were all thinking the same thing, but none of them could bring themselves to say the word.

"We know, Mikey, we know," Leo answered softly.

Raph revved up the shell-cycle, making his way towards the docks. How could Leo not realise they had to do something – they had to make sure no one got hurt in this fight. He understood Leo's reasoning, but just couldn't accept it himself. He knew Donny and Mikey were in no fit state to fight, but Leo could have come with him. Raph was tempted to call Casey, but he seemed to remember Casey saying something about taking April out for dinner and a movie tonight. Oh well, Raphie would have to play alone tonight – just one turtle against the world.

He was now nearing the docks, so quickly parked his bike in a side alley. Making sure to stay hidden in the shadows, he could almost hear Leo warning him to go back before it was too late. 'Shuddup Leo', he thought angrily, but he still seemed to hear him. _Don't do this, Raph – just come home._ As Raph came around the side of the building, he saw the gang standing on the pier. There must have been at least 60 of them, if not more. Whatever the number, there were way too many for him to handle alone…and he knew it. He reached for his shell-cell, and dialled Leo's number.

"Raph?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I'm by the docks…"

"Stop right there. I already told you – we're not joining in with this one."

"But Leo, we gotta do somethin'. We can't just let 'em get away with it."

"Raph, we've been through this. I know I usually say we have to stand up for what's right, but this time we just can't, okay?"

"No, Leo. It ain't okay. We can't just pick and choose. Please, bro, just meet me here."

"No, Raph. There's no way…"

"Okay, Fearless, I get it," Raph's voice was laced with an icy anger. "I thought that you were the one with honour, but I guess I was wrong."

"Raph! I didn't say we wouldn't stop them, I just said we should wait! Please, Raph, just come home. I promise you, we will stop them, just not tonight."

"Whateva." Raph clicked the phone shut, disconnecting the call. He couldn't believe it – his oh-so-perfect-and-honourable older brother, the one he had always looked up to even though they always seemed to be arguing, had backed down from doing what was right. And with this realisation, his world seemed to shatter. He really was now a lone turtle against the world.


	2. Part 2

…_**All the people cheer 'til the end is near  
And the hero takes a fall  
Then they'll drag you through the mud  
You're only flesh and blood  
I have walked the path from dark to light  
And they've yet to come to terms  
Alone I take my stand  
I'm only a man against the world…  
**_

However, he knew he still had to fight, he still had to do what was right. From his hiding place in the shadows, he could still see them all milling around, not seeming to know what to do. _Perfect_, he smirked. _Maybe I still got a chance o' doin' somethin' to stop 'em_. Drawing his sai, he stealthily advanced towards the back of the group, hoping to take out a few before they realised he was there. He snuck up behind a lanky male, and tapped him on the shoulder. The boy turned in annoyance, only to find his nose being met with Raph's fist. He crumpled to the floor with a _thud_, and Raph stepped over him to get to the next thug, who had just turned to see what the noise was behind him. He saw Raph and managed to call out, before he was knocked out by the hilt of a sai. Now most of the surrounding thugs knew Raph was there, and word was spreading fast through the ranks, so that soon all were staring at the solo turtle, weapons at the ready. For a moment, Raph glared back at them, before unleashing a mighty battle cry and charging into the mass of gang members. His Sais swiped left and right, slashing at those brave or foolish enough to come within range. _Too easy_, Raph chuckled to himself, _maybe I really do have a shot at beatin' 'em_. Although it seemed like for every one he took down, another five took his place, at the moment they were fighting with no organisation and no control, so they could be quite easily taken down. He slashed through another man, adding to the ever growing pool of blood that was spreading over the tarmac. All of a sudden, a hush seemed to fall over the remaining ranks of gang members, and they seemed to step back away from Raph. Breathing heavily, he glanced around at all of them, confused. Then he saw the reason why – Hun was approaching him, a grin plastered across his face. Raph's eyes narrowed, _oh shell_.

"Hello, turtle," Hun snickered, punching his right fist into his left-hand palm.

"Bring it," Raph snarled, moving into a defensive position, and making a beckoning motion with his sai. With a roar, Hun ran towards him, ready to grind this turtle into the ground. At the last moment, Raph managed to sidestep, and Hun went running past him. Hun managed to recover surprisingly quickly for a man of his size, and managed to get a cheap shot in before Raph had time to realise what was happening. Raph flew back several feet with force of the punch, smashing into a wall. _Lucky I got a shell_, he thought, _otherwise that might have really hurt_.

Raph flipped himself up, ready to block the blows Hun was trying to rain down on him. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up – he had already been battling goons before Hun showed up, and although they hadn't put up much of a fight, they had still manage to get a few shots in, and had depleted some of his energy. And Hun – well, he was tough enough to fight even when you weren't beginning to tire – you'd be lucky to survive if you took him on with less than 100% energy. And Raph was all out of energy and running on adrenaline by now. And that adrenaline was lessening every second. _If only I could get in a good shot_, Raph thought.

Just then, Hun left a brief second between one punch and the next, leaving Raph just enough time to kick him in the solar plexus, temporarily winding him. Hun fell backwards, landing heavily due to his weight. This gave Raph the breathing space he needed – he jumped up and made a stab at Hun's right arm with his sai. But Hun had recovered and grabbed his wrist before Raph could deliver the blow. He squeezed and squeezed, until the sai clattered onto the floor. But still he continued to tighten his grip, until Raph felt a snap, and his hand flopped uselessly. Hun released his grip, and Raph felt the pain of his now broken wrist. _Dammit_, he muttered to himself, _now I'm gonna have to fight one-handed. The ole turtle luck's runnin' true ta form. _

He made a swipe at Huns face with his good hand, which was still clutching his other sai, and managed to make a long gash in his forehead. Blood ran into Hun's eyes, temporarily blinding him, and while he tried to wipe it from his eyes, Raph took the opportunity to get in a few shots.

With their leader down, some of the braver gang members approached the distracted Raph. One of them hit him over the back of the head with a metal pipe, causing him to fall to the ground. Others began to kick him as he lay dazed on the concrete, but these suddenly stopped, and Raph knew Hun must be ready again. He struggled to get up, his head spinning and a wave of nausea coursing through him. He managed to stand up, and shook his head to clear the fuzziness.

He stared at the advancing gang leader, who was now wielding a large gun. But he didn't appear to want to shoot – no, he would probably rather finish Raph off in hand-to-hand combat. He would enjoy it more that way. Raph was still trying to clear his vision – he was seeing double, so it looked like two giants with guns were running towards him. _If only I knew which was real, I could easily dodge_.

The two Huns were almost upon him, so Raph did the only thing he could think of – he managed to leap right over Hun's head, and land behind him. He turned as quickly as he could, but was instead faced with several gang members, all wanting to get their own hit on the now weakened turtle. He felt his skin being slashed at with shards of glass, and his shell being battered with metal pipes. He managed to back away from them long enough to pull his shell-cell from is belt, and hit any button he could, hoping that one of his bros would answer.

"Hello, Raph?" He breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to answer Donny when the phone was knocked out of his hands. He looked up only to find himself staring into the crazed eyes of Hun. Before he had time to react, the butt of gun was brought down into his face and chest, knocking him backwards, whereupon he felt fire coursing through every fibre of his being – a thug with a taser had just electrocuted him. He cried out and fell to his knees, before slumping back onto his shell. The electricity went off just as suddenly as it had gone on, leaving him feeling dazed and almost paralysed. He blinked a couple of times, to clear his vision again – this time he saw what he had dreaded would happen as soon as he had first seen that gun in Hun's hand….the gun was pointed directly at him, with Hun's chunky finger ready to pull the trigger.

"Raph? Raph, are you there? Come on, this no time to be joking around!" Donny was standing in his lab, still clutching the phone to his ear. He had heard the sickening sound of something metallic making contact with flesh and the pained yell as someone fell to the floor. He could now hear distant voices – one was definitely his brother's and the other…could it be Hun? If it was, Donny knew his brother was in trouble. He reached for his duffel bag, rummaging with his free hand for the tracking device he always carried, which could trace the signal of their shell-cells, all the while still listening intently to what was going on at the other end of the phone line. He now couldn't hear anything; the voices had stopped, and he was just about to hang up when he heard the horrifying sound of a gun going off, and the unmistakable cry of his brother.

"NOOOOO!" Donny screamed, causing Leo and Mikey to run in to see what was wrong. Donny dropped the phone, and it smashed on the floor.

"Dude, what's up?" Mikey asked, looking into his brother's now pale face.

"It…it's Raph. He…I think…he's been…shot."

"What?! Donny, where is he? We've got to find him!"

"I….he didn't say." Donny was still in a state of shock, and had forgotten about the tracker. Luckily, Mikey saw it lying on the work bench. He picked it up and glanced at the screen…Raph was at the docks.

"He's at the docks, Leo. Where the gang fight was."

"Then that's where we're going!" And the three brothers raced to the battle shell, desperate to reach their red-masked brother before it was too late.

Meanwhile (this takes place while Donny was on the phone)…

As Raph stared into the barrel of the gun, he felt rather disgusted. Why did Hun not finish him off with something…he didn't know what, but something else. Why did it have to be a gun? The thugs around him had started to laugh and jeer at him – only a few minutes ago they had been scared of him, but now he was a big joke? Oh how quick they were to change their attitude, now he was in no position to attack them. Now that they realised he was only flesh and blood, just like them.

"Why a gun?" He asked Hun simply, glaring up at him.

"Why _not_ a gun, turtle? It's as good a weapon as any - better, compared to some I could mention. And it gets the job done."

"Look, can we cut to the chase and get ta tha part where ya shoot me? I don't wanna have ta listen to ya drone on another secind."

"Well, turtle, it will give me great pleasure to finally finish you. After all, my men weren't here to fight you – we were waiting for a shipment to come in. But thanks to you, we got a little entertainment while we waited."

"Yadda yadda yadda. Whateva."

"Still so rude. Well, my green friend, I have a whole load of cargo to steal, so…." Hun smirked at Raph's snarling face, and pulled the trigger. He heard the turtle's pathetic cry, and looked at the now motionless mutant lying before him. He was tempted to take the turtle with him as a prize, but the sound of a ship's horn reminded him of his main task. The turtle will still be here when I get back, he thought, but just in case…

"You six," he yelled, pointing at six thugs, "You are to guard this with your lives. Got it?" The goons quickly nodded in agreement, forming a ring around Raph's body, while Hun ran off to ensure that the robbery went as planned.

"Why did he do it? How could he have been so stupid?" Leo was fuming as they sped towards the docks. He was sitting in the passenger seat, holding the tracker, while Donny was at the wheel. Mikey was sat in the back, trying his best not to cry.

"Leo, you know Raph…"

"Donny, that's the point! I do know Raph, and I should have stopped him!" Leo was now beginning to blame himself.

"C'mon, Leo! How could you have stopped him? You know, we all know, that when Raph wants to do something, there's nothing anyone can do to stop him."

"But, Donny, I'm the…"

"Leader. I know, Leo. But that doesn't mean you can control what anyone does. Not entirely, anyway. Now stop blaming yourself, and tell me where he is."

"He's not far from here. Pull into the side alley – we can park the battle shell there. According to the tracker, Raph's just around the corner." Donny parked the Battle-Shell, and the turtles got out. As Mikey exited, he noticed a gleam of red just further up the alley – it was the Shell Cycle. Mikey felt his eyes prick as he thought of his red-masked brother - he loved this bike, almost as much as he loved his family…what if he could never ride it again?

"Mikey, you stay here." Leo ordered, "You still aren't ready for another battle yet."

"Alright, Leo, but at least let me put Raph's bike into the Battle Shell. He'll kill us if we leave it behind."

Leo thought sadly that Raph might not be alive to do that, but quickly pushed that thought away, and replied, "Okay, Mikey. Are you sure you can manage it?" Mikey nodded, and watched as his purple and blue masked brothers went to find Raph.

They were shocked at the amount of blood on the ground, and the numerous bodies that were lying around. "Wow, Raph got busy, didn't he?" Leo tried to joke, but knew – given the current situation – that it wasn't any where near funny. If it hadn't been for the six gang members standing around him, it would have probably taken them a few minutes to work out where Raph was. They advanced towards the guards, unsheathing their weapons ready to take them out. The thugs were also armed, a couple with metal rods, some with baseball bats, and one with a golf club. Leo could have laughed at how easy it was to disarm and knock them out, if it hadn't been for the fact he was so concerned about his red-masked sibling. When the guards had been defeated, Donny quickly set to work examining Raph. Leo looked at his younger brother's bruised and battered body, before his eyes fell on the bullet hole in his plastron, and the ever-growing pool of blood that was beginning to surround Raph. He saw Donny's face crease into a deeper frown, and asked,

"Donny, is he….?"

"No, not yet. We've got to get him back to the Lair now, though, before he loses any more blood." This was easier said than done though – Raph had always been the heaviest of the four, mainly due to his larger structure and muscle mass, so it took both Leo and Donny to half-carry-half-drag Raph to the Battle Shell. Mikey was waiting, with the rear doors open. He had put the Shell Cycle in there as well, so it would be a tight fit. Leo was going to suggest they leave it behind, but knew what Mikey would say about that. So instead, he just said,

"Mikey, you'd better get in the front seat – you're driving us home. Me and Donny will take care of Raph, okay?"

"Sure thing, Leo. He is going to be alright, isn't he?"

"Mikey, the best thing you can do for him now is to get us home. We can't do anything for him here." Mikey nodded, and started up the engine. Leo clambered in after Donny and Raph, and slammed the doors.

"What can I do to help, Donny?"

"Press this pad onto the wound as hard as you can. At the rate he's losing blood, he's not going to be able to hold out until we get home. If we manage to lessen the flow, we can buy more time." He passed Leo a handful of pads, and Leo used his full weight to press down on the wound. Leo was sure it must hurt, but was concerned that there was no response from Raph.

"Come on, Raph. You've got to fight! You can't leave us – you just can't!"


	3. Part 3

…_**And love, like a distant reminder  
It tugs at my shoulder  
It calls me home  
I shout, can a single voice carry  
Will I find sanctuary within your arms  
Someday when the answer's clearer  
Someday when I even the score  
You'll reach and you'll find me near you  
Right beside you  
Forevermore…**_

Raph blinked, but quickly shut his eyes to block out the blinding light he saw. He heard a _click_, and the light disappeared. He dared to open his eyes, and now found the room to be a lot darker.

"Better?" he heard a voice ask him. It was a familiar voice. He managed to turn his head, and saw what he assumed to be Leo sitting in a chair beside the bed. He blinked a couple more times, to clear his vision, and saw that it was indeed his older bother.

"Thanks." He croaked, causing him to cough a little, which made him realise how much his chest hurt. Leo raised his head a little, tipping a glass towards his mouth, so Raph could sip a little water. When his thirst was quenched, Leo lowered him back down, and returned to his chair. Just then Donny walked into the room, and smiled when he saw Raph was awake. He knelt by his brother's side.

"Thank goodness, Raph. We were beginning to think we'd lost you – you've been unconscious for three days."

"Can't…get rid…o' me…that easy…braniac." Raph managed to say softly, although his breathing was a little ragged due to the pain he was now feeling.

"Are you in pain?" Donny asked in concern, trying to remember whether Raph was due for more morphine._**  
**_

"Not much…I'm…okay."

"No, Raph. I don't think you are. Wait right here, I'll go get some morphine," Donny hurried out of the room.

"Raph, why didn't you tell me? I'd have gone and got it," Leo asked, wishing he could help his brother more.

"Because…I…deserve it." He stated flatly.

"What do you mean, you deserve it?"

"I…shoulda listened. I…I shouldn't have gone out. I…could have put…all of you…in danger. I deserve to feel…what I'm feelin'."

"No, Raph. You don't deserve it. True, you shouldn't have been involved in the fight, but you were doing what you thought was right. Now be quiet about it, or you'll get another lecture from Donny."

Donny came back into the room, and injected the morphine into Raph's arm. As the pain dulled, Raph felt himself drifting back off to sleep.

A few hours later, Raph woke up to find that it was Mikey who was now sat beside him.

"Hey, Raphie."

"Hey Mike. S'up?"

"Well, I beat my high score on New York Race – but it was no fun playing without you."

"Sorry, Mike."

"Why'd you do it, Raph?"

"I dunno, Mikey…Guess, I just…wanted a fight."

"C'mon dude, we both know that there's more to it than that."

"Alright, bro, ya got me. I did it cos I knew it was the right thing to do. Just don't tell the others, okay?"

"Raph, you been eatin' out of Leo's bowl or sumthin'?" Raph made an attempt to hit Mikey upside-the-head, but Mikey dodged. "Kiddin', dude, kiddin'! I promise I won't tell."

"Ya better not, laughin' boy, or else!"

"Hey, Raph, are ya hungry? If ya are, I'll go and cook your favourite meal!"

"Sure, Mike. Thanks, bro."

"Cool – it'll be done in half an hour!"

"Can't wait. See ya later Mikey."

As Raph watched his baby brother skip with happiness out of the room, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt creep over him. _What if Mikey got hurt because of me_, he thought. _I couldn't handle it if anything happened to him – he told me when we were kids that I was his hero, but the truth is, it's the other way around – he's __**my**__ hero. He's got a way of cheering ya up, when ya think nothin' in the world could make ya feel happy again – what if I was the one that destroyed that? I would never forgive myself. _It was then that Raph realised how often he put his family in danger – real danger. All the times they'd almost got their shells waxed, because of something he did. He couldn't put them at risk anymore – he had to do something to make certain nothing would ever hurt them again…

Over the next couple of weeks, Raph began to recover remarkably quickly from his injuries. He soon began training with them again, just a little bit at first and the others always made him to stop before he got too tired. That night, after Raph had been forcibly put to bed, the three other turtles sat down to have a little family discussion.

"Has anyone noticed anything…different…about Raph?"

"What, like how he has more focus now than he ever has before in his life?" Donny asked. Leo simply nodded in response.

"What's the prob, dudes? So Raph's taking it all a bit more seriously? So what?"

"Yeah, Mikey. Maybe you're right….I just hope he isn't planning to do anything stupid."

"Revenge is something Raph believes very deeply in," Donny put in.

"I know, Don. That's what worries me." Leo stood up and went to make himself a cup of tea, signifying the end of the discussion. Donny and Mikey simply looked at each other, their faces mirroring Leo's concern.

It was now a month later, and Raph was pretty much back to normal – physically, at least. He knew it was now time to put his plan into action. Grabbing a pen and a scrap of paper, he set about writing the hardest note he'd ever written in his life.

_Hey guys, _

_By the time ya read this, I'll be long gone. Don't try to come after me – ya won't find me (ya know ya won't – remember those games of Hide 'N' Seek we played when we were kids?). I know I'm always the one that puts ya all in danger, so I'm gonna go before I get you into somethin' ya can't get out of. I couldn't handle it if anythin' happened to any of ya. Maybe one day I'll come home, but for now I need to carry on "playin' vigilante", as Leo would say, but I gotta do it by myself – I can't keep putting ya all at risk. Love ya, guys._

_Bye._

He left it on his hammock, before putting his sai into his belt, taking one last look around his room and the rest of the Lair, before exiting his home, maybe for the last time.

_**  
…But for now I'll walk the night alone  
Like a man against the world  
A brand new day will shine  
Through the avalanche of time  
Now the road's grown long, but the spirit's strong  
And the fire within still burns  
Alone I take my stand  
I give you a man against the world.**_


	4. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Raph had now been gone for almost six months by now. For the first three months, Donny, Leo and Mikey had gone out every night looking for him, but they knew they had no hope of finding their red-masked brother if he didn't want to be found. So now they went out patrolling as usual, confident in their belief that Raph would come back soon. The three remaining turtles were out on patrol, as usual, when they suddenly sensed they were being followed. Spinning around, weapons at the ready, they were faced with an army of Foot soldiers. There were so many of them – just a sea of black – that Leo immediately knew that it would be difficult for just the three of them to fight them all. He wished Raph was here, but knew it was no good – Raph wasn't here, so they would just have to try to manage by themselves. With a roar, Leo led his orange- and purple-masked brothers into battle. It seemed at first like they were winning, but more and more Foot seemed to press in around them. Leo felt himself beginning to tire, and knew his younger brothers must be feeling the same. But there was still so many to fight – they wouldn't be able to do it. It was hopeless. Everything seemed to go in slow-motion just then, maybe an effect of his weariness – he watched the Foot ninja raise up a knife, saw it come sweeping down towards his face, but before it hit him – he blinked and all he saw was the ninja lying on the floor, blood pooling around him. He shook his head, as more ninjas fell to the floor. He saw a flash of red, heard an all-too-familiar war cry – no, it couldn't be…could it?

"Raph?!" he called out, but the remaining foot ninjas were all defeated, and there was no sign of his missing brother. He was beginning to think he had imagined it, when…

"Duuuuude. Hey Don, is that…"

"What, Mikey?....Oh my god. It…it is."

"What guys?" but Leo got no response form his dumbfounded brothers, who were staring up at the roof of a nearby building. He looked at where they were looking…and was shocked to see a black shadow, mask-tails flapping in the wind. The shadow must have seen them watching, for it now quickly turned and sprinted off. But they had all seen the distinct shell on his back – it was. It was him.

Leo smiled, before quickly turning back to his other brothers. "C'mon, guys. Home. Now!" He watched his two younger brothers sprinting off, seeming much more light-hearted now they knew their older brother was alright. He turned back to where he had seen Raph, "Thanks, bro." he whispered, before chasing after Donny and Mikey, yelling, "Last one to the Lair does the dishes for a whole week!"

* * *

_Okay, so there you have it - my first ever songfic. I hope it wasn't too bad..._

_Please read and review, letting me know what you thought (even if you thought it was the worst thing you'd ever read in your life, and the time you spent reading this was wasted minutes of your life that you'll never get back). :D_

_If you on the off-chance you did like it, I would be happy to consider requests for writing TMNT songfics for other songs. _


End file.
